


What would Madara do?

by First_Peach



Category: Naruto
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, No Kaguya, No Zetsu, Psychopath, Rebirth, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Serial Killers, bakashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:28:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/First_Peach/pseuds/First_Peach
Summary: “Honey, maybe we shouldn’t?” Fugaku rasped between the kisses. “Well… it hasn’t been that long since Itachi… are you sure it’s okay?”“Oh please, Fugaku, my love, it’s fiiiiine. What’s the worst that could happen?”The famous last words.In this story, our OC is brought from our modern world into the world of shinobi as a daughter to Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. Some will say she is an angel, but the clan quickly learned, that she was more like a spawn of Madara Uchiha himself.OC herself, faced with the life of a shinobi, would ask only one question: What would Madara do?
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 74
Kudos: 270





	1. Birth

**Author's Note:**

> It is year 55. Itachi was born a year before (same time as Shisui). Besides this, I will try to keep it more or less on par with canon events & timeline.

Mikoto used all her shinobi stealth as she exited her son’s room. Without making a sound, she closed the door, and only then did she let out a careful sigh. At last, her dear firstborn Itachi was asleep.

It has been a long six months since the boy saw the light of day. He grew not by the day but by the hour. Already he started babbling sounds and actually sounded like he was making sense. She was a proud mother.

A proud mother that now scrubbed the dishes, wondering how did it come to this. She, a high-ranking shinobi, stuck at home while her comrades fought a war. 

Clan obligations and duty, that’s how. She was not a regular shinobi anymore. No, she was a matriarch to one of the most powerful clans in the land. Uchiha. And she said the name proudly. Yet she sighed now, wishing to stand in battle again.

“Darling,” a whisper in the night ghosted over her shoulder. She smiled, feeling her cheeks color.

“Fugaku,” the woman whispered, turning around from the sink to look at her bellowed husband. There was still some blood on the man’s cheek, sweat, and dirt on his armor. Ah, he looked extremely attractive. Or maybe it was the weeks of staying apart speaking.

He leaned to kiss her gently. Mikoto responded by weaving her still wet hands around his neck, not at all disturbed by the blood and whatnot. Quickly the flames between the two ignited as if they were never apart.

Stumbling yet making no sound whatsoever, the pair found their way to the kitchen table. They couldn’t make it to the bedroom.

“Honey, maybe we shouldn’t?” Fugaku rasped between the kisses.

“Hmm?” what in the world was he talking about. Her forehead scrunched.

“Well… it hasn’t been that long since Itachi… are you sure it’s okay?”

The stupid man worried about her! And that is why she loved him till the last drop of the ocean. The woman chuckled.

“Oh please, Fugaku, my love, it’s fiiiiine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

He smirked in response. Indeed, it has been way too long since their last union. Pregnancy did things to the body, no woman enjoyed. But their passion was too strong. Plus, the healers in Konoha cleared Mikoto a week ago. So decisively, she tugged on his pants.

“Wicked Eye Fugaku, if you do not take me now, I swear to Madara, I will burn the village down!” she didn’t have to ask twice. Soon enough her legs were parted and she felt him right where he belonged. Inside of her.

When people look at Uchiha, they think of words such as ‘proud’, ‘stoic’, ‘rule abiding’. No one would think of them as people who could so casually fuck on their own kitchen table. Those people were idiots.

Uchiha clan head could, would, and did just that. Their passion shined brighter than the will of fire. 

“We won the war,” the man grunted victorious as he took his wife.

“Ohhh Fugaku!” she gasped feeling the ferocity behind his thrusts. This was a blessed day. Not only did Konoha prevail, but Mikoto finally got laid again.

━━━━━━━━━━

It was five weeks later when Fugaku and Mikoto suddenly awoke in full alert. There was something wrong. Both of them sensed a presence. A beating heart that just suddenly disturbed the night.

Fugaku stood with a kunai and his sharingan blazing as he looked around the darkness of their bedroom. Mikoto was on her feet as well… with a battle axe…

They looked at each other both confused as they could not spot the intruder. Mikoto being the better sensor of the two carefully extended her chakra.

“Oh…” she gasped as the axe fell down from her hands. The woman’s eyes were wide as she took in the sensation.

“Mikoto! What’s the matter??!” in a blink he was by his wife’s side.

“Fugaku.. I..”

“What is it??” he demanded.

“I.. am pregnant…” her hand instinctively hovered over her flat belly. There she felt the faintest of hearts beating. This is what awoke them in the night. A new life that blossomed within her.

Fugaku dropped to his knees and hugged her with an ear placed on her belly. He could feel it now too. Strong heart. Strong chakra. His child.

━━━━━━━━━━

As much as Fugaku and Mikoto wanted to wait before announcing the good news to the clan, shinobi among their peers already sensed it. You really couldn’t hide anything from shinobi. There were fond smiles directed at the two as they walked around.

Some complimented the clan head with clear admiration and pride of their leaders… capabilities. Producing an heir was the utmost important task for the Clan Head of the Uchiha. And Fugaku was delivering.

The man hid the blush well, behind his stone face. Yet his heart boomed with pride and ego. Yes, he was ‘da man’. Mikoto blushed for the both of them.

“Maaaan, Mikoto-chan, you’re soooooo lucky!!!” Kushina boomed as the two met in the marketplace two months in her pregnancy.

“Kushina! Please! I wanted to tell you myself!” Uchiha pouted as her hands rested on the small bump on her belly. Kushina, all of 15 years of age, the spicy redhead was already her close friend.

“Please yourself! I’m a sensor, ya know! And that chakra inside you is fierce!” Uzumaki announced leaning in as if she could look right through the flesh. Mikoto herself was over 18 years old, but she has seen war enough to make her mentally older.

“Aww, thanks?” the woman blushed harder as if to match Kushina’s hair.

“Soooo? Do you know who it is yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Ah, I bet it is a girl! Fierce like a dragon!” as to further her point, the young Uzumaki let out a rawr that yes, could very well be a sound that a dragon made. 

“Shhh! People are looking, Kushina-chan!” Mikoto tried to calm her friend with no luck.

━━━━━━━━━━

Itachi was now one year old and a few months, when Mikoto was rushed to the hospital. Her husband paced relentlessly in the hallway cradling his son.

It was too quiet. He recalled how the first time he heard his son’s cry over the walls and rooms. The shinobi paranoia in him was simmering. Fugaku wanted to be there, but medics refused. After long years of practice, they all have learned that it is best to have as few people as possible when a shinobi is giving birth.

With all the chakra and lack of control breaking of walls and jutsu crashing on people was a common occurrence. And on top of that, they were Uchiha. Meaning that sharingan could very well go untamed if the mother is provoked.

So he waited until a doctor finally emerged.

“Congratulations, Uchiha-sama!” he said with a smile. Instantly, the man felt relief flood over him all while Itachi curiously watched the exchange between the adults. “You can now come in.”

Not waiting for a second longer, the clan head entered the room with his wife and child. His sharingan was already activated, just like Mikoto’s. He stopped by her bed and looked over the little bundle in her lap.

“It’s a girl, dear,” Mikoto smiled at him. Both of their eyes drank the sight of their little angel. And the baby looked right at them. Piercing dark eyes were open and as if studying the two. The girl wasn’t crying. She was incredibly calm.

“Is she… frowning?” Fugaku mused. Itachi in his hold was getting restless.

“I think so,” Mikoto chuckled with admiration. “The doctor said that he has never seen such a calm newborn before.”

“She’s a true Uchiha,” Fugaku nodded and now leaned closer so that little Itachi could take a better look at his new sister.

“Itachi, baby, this is your new sister. You’re a big brother now,” Mikoto cooed.

Itachi reached with his chubby hand and… oh... The little girl reached back at him. Their tiny hands touched. Fugaku knew then, that his children would always protect each other. The Uchiha bond was as strong as ever. He felt blessed.

“How do we call her?” the man asked.

“Ryoko?”

“Ryoko?... Like a dragon woman?” he mused.

“Mmm, her chakra feels strong and fierce. She needs a fierce name to go with it,” Mikoto smiled remembering what Kushina had said to her. 

“Ryoko Uchiha it is,” he gave a nod of approval.

━━━━━━━━━━

Over her short life, she felt lots of a different kind of pain. Stabbing. Being shot at. Hell, she was even choked that one time. Yet nothing could compare to that first inhale of air.

She wanted to be back in that warm bubble of water again, but her time was up. Muscles all around her spasmed and pushed her towards the light. This is it, she thought, finally she will be dead.

As it turns out, it was far from death. Her eyes opened to the brilliant white of the room she was in. She wanted to say ‘what the fuck’ but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a gargle of incoherent sounds.

“It’s a girl!” she heard a masculine voice announce.

 _You bet your ass I am!_ she puffed out her cheeks earning some awws and ohhs from nurses around her. But the worst part was being passed around like a sack of potatoes.

She wanted to walk. To run. To get away from wherever the hell she ended up. But as it turned out - she was now a very small and fragile little being. 

A permanent frown settled on her face. She was not pleased. The logic in her brain could not explain how one minute, she was laughing, taunting her prey, then got shot, and then appeared in some woman's belly.

It was all the fault of that detective… he found her out… elbow deep in some man's guts. And he didn’t believe her when she claimed that it was art.

Fine. Yes, she may or may not have been a psychopath serial killer, but hey, everyone has their own hobbies? Hers is just more bloody than most…

“Is she… frowning?” some man spoke above her. She didn’t particularly dislike his tone, but she kept her suspicions about his intentions. It probably would not go well for her if she admitted being far older than a baby they assumed her to be.

The woman holding her smelled nice. In a way, she was thankful to her, for giving her life. Again. _I guess, that’s my mother now?_ she thought staring up at bright red eyes. The woman was pretty and her gaze was hypnotic. She definitely has not seen those kinds of eyes ever before.

“Itachi, baby, this is your new sister. You’re a big brother now,” the woman chirped.

She, being a newborn, could not really turn or lift her head much, but the adults still presented her to this Itachi person. Ah, it was a child. Dark eyes just like the man’s who was holding him. Dark hair just like the woman’s… her mother… his mother?

 _I… have a brother?..._ the woman in the baby's body mused trying her best to reach for the little boy. She wanted to check if he was real. Their tiny hands touched. Shit. He was real. So everything around them was also real.

Before all this, she was a single child. With a single parent. A very damaged and hurt man. He taught her everything she knew. From Chopin to the best way of snapping one’s neck. From Italian cuisine to the best way of dismembering a body. He was an _artist_ and she wanted to make him proud with the art of her own.

She couldn’t stop thinking, what was this new family of hers like? They looked happy. Normal. Except for the weird eyes that somehow turned to black. Will they ask her to kill people too? She could do that… she was good at that…

“Ryoko Uchiha it is.”

Ryoko cocked her head to the side evaluating the new name. It was acceptable. Actually, she couldn’t really remember the name she had before. Maybe because the last bullet splattered her brains out on the wall…

Either way, this was her life now. This was her mother, her father, and her brother. Ryoko was determined to make them proud by any means necessary. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt tiredness wash over her body. It was time to rest.

━━━━━━━━━━


	2. From 0 to 1

Mikoto was only slightly concerned. She felt completely fine after the birth itself. Recovery for the second time went smoothly, while her baby looked healthy. Her husband worked hard, of course, but he always made time for his family. Even Itachi, as if fully understanding the meaning of the new addition to the family, stopped causing so much noise. He was a true angel.

What did concern her was Ryoko’s behavior. The girl slept an abnormal amount of time. She didn’t cry. Just slept. Fugaku joked, that maybe Mikoto got too friendly with Nara while he was away. Naturally, he slept on the sofa for the next few days.

But the issue remained. It sure did not look normal.

“Fugaku, maybe… something is wrong with her?”

“What do you mean, Miko?” the man raised his eyes from a pile of papers he was working on. Clan business was never-ending.

“Ryoko. She just… sleeps so much. I am worried,” maybe she couldn’t explain it well, but her motherly intuition was ringing bells. It was not normal for kids to be so… so… lethargic.

“Listen, I am sure that everything is completely fine with her. Ryoko is our daughter and Uchiha. She is perfect, trust me. But, we can go to the doctor together and check to be safe,” he suggested skillfully like a politician avoiding any confrontation and calming his wife.

“Alright,” she sighed in surrender.

The next day they did as planned. Itachi was left back at home with a nanny, while Fugaku and Mikoto entered the hospital with a sleeping Ryoko in their arms.

“Please take a seat, Uchiha-sama,” the doctor motioned to two chairs in front of his desk. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked respectfully, but still with a medics demanding tone.

“Ryoko. She just sleeps too much,” Mikoto said brushing the tiny strand of hair that was crowning her baby's head by now. It has been around six months now.

“How much is ‘too much’?”

“Well, sometimes she can sleep all day if I don’t wake her for food. Sometimes she sleeps a minimum of twelve hours. I just… Itachi wasn’t like this,” Mikoto shared her thoughts in hopes that maybe it was just her imagination…

“Hm, that is unusual,” the doctor hummed, not at all easing the worry for the concerned parents.

“Are you saying there is something wrong with her?” Fugaku snapped.

“Eeemmm, let me just take a look,” the doctor ignored the question as he stepped closer to the mother with her baby. His hands glowed green as he did the usual diagnostics. At some point, Ryoko opened her eyes and now watched with great interest the doctor in front of her.

“Huh,” the medic mused, finally pulling away.

“Well?” Fugaku was losing his patience.

“Uchiha-sama, there is nothing specifically wrong with little Ryoko…”

“But?”

“But, well, her brain activity… It is just extraordinary! Her development is crazily advanced for her age. And that is the cause for her tiredness - her body is trying to compensate for the increased brain activity.”

“What does that mean?” Mikoto asked as she pressed Ryoko closer to her chest.

“Please, don’t be concerned, Lady Uchiha. This is a good sign. Let her sleep and watch her development. I would advise encouraging it too. Maybe read some books to her? That is what we often suggest to Nara kids. They sometimes show a similar spur of brain development.”

“So, she is growing up faster?” Fugaku asked, trying to piece this new information together.

“No, not really. It is just that her brain is working… better, faster than most. It is clear that she is alert and can comprehend her surroundings. She will be one clever girl, I can tell you that,” the doctor smiled as he leaned in closer to the frowning Ryoko. “Hm, could you come back in a month? I would like to do an IQ test to check on her development.”

“Hn,” Fugaku gave a curt nod before leaving. He felt a bitter-sweet taste from this news. On one hand, he was delighted to have a confirmation about what he already knew - their daughter was special in the best possible ways. On the other hand, it was getting dangerously close to the despised term - prodigy. He did not wish the life of a prodigy on his daughter.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ryoko was learning a lot about her new _home_. The house and food they ate looked a lot like a traditional Japanese kind. For once, she thanked her former father for introducing the culture to her. Vaguely she recalled that her father's uncle's wife was Japanese. From her he learned the language and how to wield a katana. The knowledge then was passed down to her.

Unfortunately, as far as the language went, Ryoko could only read and understand some of it. She never bothered to learn how to write foreign symbols. But it was a start. This allowed her to listen in on her new parent's conversations. 

There were many unfamiliar words they used. Like ‘chakra’ or ‘sannin’. But she understood the general idea of the time she ended up in - there was a war going on and her parents were shinobi. Warriors. Looks like history liked to repeat itself…

“Honey, do you want me to read you a book?” Mikoto, her mother figure, picked the tiny baby up from the crib. Ryoko swore, that she will never allow _anyone_ to handle her like this again. Like some useless sack of flour.

For now, she had to act the part and gave a nod with a blank face. As blank as a toddler could be at this point. Mikoto was not even shocked anymore, that Ryoko understood her question. After that visit to the doctor, her parents started to regard her more like an actual person and not just a stupid baby.

“Ryoko, honey, you have to always remember where you come from. You are an Uchiha. Today I will read you a book about one of our greatest leaders. Lord Madara Uchiha,” Mikoto spoke as the two settled on the sofa. Ryoko was held carefully in her arms, while Itachi, the already walking bastard, got to his mother's side by himself.

The kids, even being as small as they were, were completely consumed by the story of a powerful man, by some called as the savior of this world.

“He was the eldest brother, just like you, Itachi,” Mikoto smiled at him as she showed a drawing of the Uchiha family. It was old. There were five children and two parents. 

“He was considered as a genius for his tactics during the war,” she continued to talk about the various fights that were documented. Ryoko stopped listening at that point. 

This was just too weird for her.

Her ancestor, Madara Uchiha, led an army? Was good at tactics? That is great and all, but this is exactly what her former father said about their ancestors! He said that her great great great great great great grandfather led armies against Rome and was even referred to as the ‘Father of Strategy’. Coincidence? Maybe.

Or maybe it was destiny. 

Somehow, Ryoko felt closer to this new family of hers. The similarities were uncanny, but not unwelcome. They were proof of her being in the right place.

This Madara also sounded like a great guy, she thought, looking at his drawing in the book. He looked tall and strong. She would never forget the confident stance he had. It looked like not even a storm could budge him from the place he stood.

With great concentration, the girl tried to cross her baby arms in the same manner as Madara did on his chest. No luck.

“Oh, baby, are you tired already?” Mikoto smiled kindly at her wriggling form. She yawned in response. Before her mother stood up, Ryoko already closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take over. All the time cursing her weak body to filth.

━━━━━━━━━━

The days go by quickly when you’re asleep most of the time. Ryoko couldn’t tell how much time passed since her death and birth, but she felt herself growing. Slowly, but steady. Her waking hours were filled with Mikoto showering her with attention. Food that tasted weird, but acceptable. Her stone face father, that would melt if she secretly sent a smile his way instead of her usual frown.

Then there was Itachi. Her big brother and the most adorable being she ever met. When they played together, he was mindful of her. Very gentle and calm. Patient, when she couldn’t reach something or grasp it. 

Ryoko loved her brother. The feeling felt natural like breathing. And she could see that he cared in his own way. They weren’t speaking yet, but they communicated with their eyes and actions.

Once, he gave her his favorite plush toy - a black raven. She cuddled the bird for dear life.

They would spend hours playing with rubber toys. Later, she heard parents calling them ‘kunai’ and ‘shuriken’. _Weapons, huh?_ Honestly, it was refreshing to see a family so… armed. She wondered when she could get her first knife.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Hello there, Ryoko-chan. My name is doctor Fuji,” a man with a white coat introduced one day. She was just opening her eyes from a nice nap when she found her surroundings had changed from the familiar home.

She obviously said nothing as her vocal cords refused to produce words that would make sense. Until then, she refused the indignity of childish blabbering. So the girl stared at him suspiciously instead.

“I have these cool blocks. Can you show me where they would go?”

They were sitting on a plush carpet. Her father and mother stood nearby watching every move as proper helicopter parents would.

Ryoko glanced at the geometric figures placed in front of her. There was also a little box with matching shape cavities. She looked up at the doctor. Back at the block. Back at the doctor. 

This was stupid and beyond her capabilities. For a moment, Ryoko seriously considered playing dumb, but her instincts told her that it would be more suspicious than showing off her intellect. _Okay, I’ll bite…_ she decided to show at least a little bit.

Carefully, but decisively Ryoko grabbed one block after the other and shoved them in the rightful place. There was only one block left. It was a round red ball. There was no shape for it on the box.

Ryoko narrowed her eyes while spinning the box. Nop. No round cavity. She didn’t want to leave the ball out. For crying out loud, she had the mind of a grown-ass woman! She could figure it out…

Eventually, Ryoko settled in placing the round ball into a square shape that at least matched the color. It went in easily.

“Oh! Very well done,” the doctor nodded. She couldn’t yet tell if he was faking it or not.

Then she got a couple more tests. One to pair words with pictures. Another with numbers and pictures. And then she fell asleep.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Uchiha-sama, have you been reading to her?”

“Yes? Is there something wrong?” the woman asked as they were having a follow-up conversation with the doctor the next day. Both kids were left at home.

“Oh no! Not at all. I could tell, you see, reading helped young Ryoko-chan to connect words and sounds with their meaning. It is very impressive.”

“Well, of course. She is an Uchiha,” Fugaku scoffed, but he was proud. Somewhere deep deep inside.

“My initial suspicions were confirmed. She is a very quick learner. Truly clever girl. Gifted, if I may say so myself. She has good problem-solving skills and well, my recommendations still stand.”

“And they are?”

“Let her rest as much as she needs, but supply her with opportunities to learn to keep her mind engaged. Books, reading. Maybe try teaching her already. Has she spoken yet?”

The two parents glanced at each other.

“No, she hasn’t. I sometimes hear her trying to make sounds, but when she notices me, she stops,” Mikoto complained.

“Ah, shy maybe?”

“Nonsense,” Fugaku crossed his arms defensively. No child of his was shy.

“Well, encourage it. Maybe try singing?” the doctor suggested looking at Mikoto, who to be fair, looked far less intimidating than her husband. Dealing with clan heads was a dangerous line to walk. Insult their child, and you could very well end up dead.

“Alright,” the woman agreed.

“What about Itachi? Has he spoken yet?”

“Yes, he is using almost full sentences now,” Fugaku added.

“Good, we should probably expect no less from Ryoko. Don’t push her too hard,” the doctor added delicately earning another defensive stare.

━━━━━━━━━━

Today Ryoko awoke feeling far more energetic than usual. She found herself in a crib at least. Waking not at home was not the best thing for her instincts. At least her parents let her sleep now after the visit to the hospital.

The girl yawned and looked around flexing her tiny hands. She grew. Still chubby, but at least her grasp got better. _Time to explore!_ she smirked to herself and looked around. 

She could hear Mikoto in another room humming. She couldn’t feel her father's presence anywhere near. It was an odd feeling actually. Similar to when you can feel a predator next to you, but it didn’t put her uneasy. His presence was like a humming sound she felt within.

Even Mikoto had that same buzzing presence about her. And her brother. So Ryoko guessed that it probably was nothing to be concerned about. Actually, it allowed her to orientate and predict if any people were around. Very handy.

Carefully Ryoko lifted herself up. A week ago she made her first couple of shaky steps. Mikoto cried. Itachi clapped his hands. And Fugaku nodded with approval.

Now the cribs rail was a bit more challenging. It took a couple of tries to heave herself over it. Mother would always get so worried when she did that. Ryoko on the other hand felt rather mischievous when she got a chance to get out of her mother's sight.

Mikoto sometimes would call her ‘a little ninja’. Ryoko liked that. Being a ninja sounded exciting. But ninja’s need to have weapons and that was her goal for today.

Carefully and quietly the little girl wobbled out of her room and looked around. In the living room, she noticed one katana on display. It was perched on a small shelf. Accessible.

The weapon was heavy. She couldn’t really hold on to it and it dropped to the floor when she tried to reach for it. Well, now she could reach it, so the goal was achieved.

Happily, Ryoko grasped onto the handle and pulled. The blade glimmered in the light. Her eyes looked with awe over the shiny metal. A tiny hand reached for it.

“RYOKO!” a yelp startled her and her hand slipped. She turned around to see her father standing in the doorway, face red with anger and concern. Huh, she didn’t even feel him like usual. Interesting.

The next second he was crouched by her side scooping her from the ground. His eyes shined red again as he looked down at her hand. Ryoko looked down too. Oh. Her hand was bleeding. She didn’t even register it.

Even now, the pain was nothing. She had worse. Sincerely puzzled the girl looked up at him wondering if he would get upset with her.

“Hn. Don’t ever do that again, okay, Ryoko?” he said calmly, but his lips were pursed in emotion she could not read. It wasn’t anger though, so she smiled back at him.

“NINJA!” she giggled pushing for her voice not to crack or stumble on the syllables. By the shocked expression on his face, Ryoko gathered that she said it right.

“Hn,” was all that Fugaku said after a long sigh.

━━━━━━━━━━


	3. From 1 to 4

“Ninja, huh? First word?”

“Yes.”

“After she grabbed a katana?” the redhead chuckled imagining the scene.

“Yes,” Mikoto sighed remembering all the blood.

“Well, I know what I’m getting her for her birthday.”

“Kushina! NO!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Katana is too big for her now. Maybe a nice dagger? I know this guy who makes all of Minato’s knives...”

“No!” Mikoto was horrified by that thought and didn’t hide it.

Both women glanced at the toddler napping in a shade of a tree. She looked adorable. Especially with some Nara kid that joined in on her nap.

“Soooo, are you sure she’s not a Nara secretly?”

“KUSHINA!”

It wasn’t Uzumaki’s fault for assuming, to be fair. Neither Mikoto nor Fugaku rushed to share the news of their child having an abnormal IQ. Call them paranoid, but they just wanted to keep their little girl as a child for as long as possible.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ryoko was practically dozing off in her father's lap, while everyone around them was hustling and preparing the table. It was her big day. One year since she was born. Despite the war breaking out again, her family gathered together. 

“Honey, Ryoko, happy birthday!” Mikoto chirped as she placed a cake in front of her with a single lit candle.

“You have to make a wish and then blow out the candle,” Fugaku explained sternly, but after a while, he figured that his little girl appreciated normal talk more than baby-talk some parents used.

The girl winked away the last bits of sleep from her eyes and leaned closer to the table. As much as Fugaku’s iron hold allowed. She closed her eyes and it almost looked like she was going back to the land of dreams. 

Until her eyes opened again with a determined glint in them. A wish was secured and set. The man felt her tiny chest expand as she inhaled deeply.

Ryoko blew air successfully, but the candle burst into high flames instead of being put out. Ryoko looked surprised and turned her wide eyes at Fugaku. The man smirked.

“Don’t worry. We Uchiha have a thing for fire. This happens. Your chakra is inclined to fire from birth,” he explained patiently.

“Oh yes, darling. Once you get older, I’ll tell you a story of how your big brother almost burned down the whole table on his birthday,” Mikoto chuckled. Itachi clapped his hands excitedly at the simmering flame.

“Chakra?” the girl mumbled in question.

“Ah yes, are you up for a story, Ryoko?” Fugaku asked. The girl smiled brightly with a nod of excitement. Nothing cheered her more than books. The Uchiha clan head yet again felt blessed to have such intelligent children.

“Fugaku, it’s her birthday! Honey, we have a present for you,” Mikoto said instead, grabbing the girl’s attention.

“Ninja?” that was her favorite word of them all. Parents only smiled.

“No, not yet,” Fugaku said sincerely hoping that his own daughter would miss the war and would get to attend the academy in the time of peace.

“Mmmm, library?” that was her next guess, surprising the adults. Half of the time they didn’t even know where she learned some of the words. But it didn’t look like she was confused by the meaning of the word itself. Ryoko seriously wanted a library full of books as a present.

“Haha, no. But we do have a library. I will show it to you next time,” Fugaku promised.

“Uuu! KATANA!” Ryoko yelped with childish excitement announcing her next guess.

“NO!” Mikoto wanted to scream too. Why did it have to be a sword that her princess wanted? Why couldn’t it be a nice dress or well anything else? Ryoko pouted.

“Now now, you’ll get that too. One day,” Fugaku said ignoring the daggers Mikoto sent his way.

Finally, they presented the girl with a box tied with a bright red bow. Inside was a traditional Uchiha fan passed from generation to generation. Both parents expected to hear a tantrum or see her cry, but the girl only examined the item with care. Her eyes darted to the Uchiha banner on one of the walls.

“Uchiha?” she tilted her head slightly.

“Yes, darling. This is a traditional fan from our crest. Always remember who you are.”

That statement was very familiar to Ryoko. She smiled widely.

“Ryoko is Uchiha!” she declared waving the fan around. The motion made the fire on top of the cake shine brighter.

“Oookey, maybe we’ll try it later. When there are fewer flames around,” Mikoto quickly took the fan away and instead gave Fugaku a book to read for his daughter.

Just your normal shinobi family trying to keep their kids from making lasting damage or burning the house completely with their wild chakra.

━━━━━━━━━━

After a story or two, the kids were let outside to play with their cousins. Ryoko quickly took a liking to two particular raven heads.

“OBI!” she yelped pummelling into an embrace with one of them. Obito Uchiha. The boy actually smiled unlike most of the Uchiha she observed.

“Koko-hime! What about me?” a boy next to him pouted. She had to giggle at the expression of the two-year-old toddler in their garden. Her fourth favorite person. Shisui Uchiha. The first place was still Madara Uchiha. Followed closely by Itachi. Then Obito.

“SHI!” she enthusiastically tackled the boy to the ground. He also smiled. That’s why she liked them so much. Not to mention, the fact that Shisui and Itachi were best of friends. Making him her friend too. 

“Ninja! Ninja!” she eagerly stomped her foot demanding to play.

“As you wish, mi’lady,” Obito laughed. That was their favorite game since she started walking. It involved running around and reenacting death scenes. Basically, it was a game of tag. With death. They loved it.

━━━━━━━━━━

Over the next year Ryoko’s _parents_ learned that she learned how to read. The girl wouldn’t just aimlessly flip through the books her little hands got hold of. They noticed her eyes moving as she followed the text in silence.

She tried hard to show off her skills slowly, but books were the only thing her parents really allowed her to do. So books it is. She inhaled the knowledge and all the weird tales they held. Chakra. Jutsu. Shinobi. Kunoichi. 

It was like reading fiction novels, but way better, because it was all real.

Quickly, she got convinced that Madara was her new idol. The man was amazing! His power was something of legends. She wanted to be just like him.

Clans and their hierarchy were also something of interest. She wasn’t naive to think that books were always saying the truth. There had to be embellishments and things misconstrued, but still. Uchiha were badass. 

The mystery behind red eyes was explained only after her second birthday. She finally was allowed to the Uchiha library and had her fill about the sharingan. 

Genjutsu? That sounded right up her alley. Her former father used chemicals, manipulation, and brainwashing to set the illusions in the minds of his victims. Once, he made a woman think that another person kidnapped her and she killed the innocent man. Ahh, good old days.

A genjutsu was basically the same, but way cooler. Ryoko would stare in the mirror for hours trying her hardest to squint and make her eyes red with no luck. All the books she read said that the power is unlocked by witnessing a big trauma.

There was only one problem. By now Ryoko had seen many things and remembered them clear as day. So she wondered what it would have to be to trigger her…

━━━━━━━━━━

The answer came to the girl in two more years. She was now of the ripe age of four. Her parents tried their hardest to keep her in their sights, but she was even better at sneaking now with all her limbs responding quicker and quicker.

After reading almost every book available about her Uchiha ancestors and Madara specifically, she realized that physical power was something important in this world of shinobi. The girl had a pretty good idea of how to train and build muscle so that is what she did.

Ryoko would run around, do pushups and other exercises. Of course, she had to start slow, by simply pushing herself off the wall. Then she moved down to push from window stills and tables she could reach. Until Ryoko could now do proper pushup from the ground.

Slow and steady was her mantra. 

The same went for chakra. At first, the concept sounded like a delusional fairy tale from some magician. But it did explain the weird buzzing she felt from other people. It took a lot to grasp the idea of chakra, but after that roadblock, the world seemed full of possibilities. 

Today Ryoko was sitting outside watching her father fight her brother. That was… weird. From what she gathered, Itachi was about to go to someplace called ‘Academy’. She gathered that it was a school of sorts, but still. Seeing Itachi evade kunai and flames weren’t pleasant.

She tried to ask her father to fight her instead, but he only brushed her off. Leaving the girl sulk and watching from a distance.

Both men went at it today exceptionally hard. She could barely keep track of their moving figures, but her eyes adjusted each time. Sometimes, she restrained blinking just to keep up with the two.

Fugaku sent a big ball of fire towards Itachi. Her eyes widened at its size. Itachi evaded with elegance no five-year-old should possess. The second his head was turned away in a spin, was the moment her eyes bled.

Fugaku leaped into the spot where Itachi was supposed to land. His hand held a kunai aimed at his son’s heart. Ryoko didn’t understand why he was doing this.

 _He’s going to kill Itachi!_ her mind reeled. Before Ryoko could even make sense of it or have another thought, her body was already moving.

She appeared right in front of Itachi with her hand held up in a blocking motion. Her head was splitting in two from the pain, but the world around her never seemed clearer.

Her eyes could see every single movement and the trajectory they were going. A bird ten meters away in a tree. An ant colony five meters away. And her father's shocked expression as he could not stop the momentum of his strike.

The kunai pierced her hand stopping just in time before skewering the flesh completely. It felt like tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she didn’t feel pain.

“Ryoko…” Fugaku’s voice was stern but trembling.

“You were going to kill Itachi!” she accused, scrunching her eyes.

“No no, honey, it’s a spar,” Fugaku quickly regained his composure and took the kunai out in one fluid motion. “I would never! You really thought… your eyes…” the man wasn’t making much sense to her, so she stepped back when he crouched in front of her.

“Ko!” Itachi hugged her, but his eyes were full of surprise when he pulled away.

“Sharingan…” the boy whispered.

“Shari…?” she wanted to ask them again, but suddenly as the pain appeared it went away. Together with the light and her consciousness.

━━━━━━━━━━

“Uchiha-sama! Really? She is only four years old!” a young medic chastised him as she bandaged the little hand of his daughter. Thankfully, her sharingan had faded away, so he explained it only as a training accident.

He was royally embarrassed to have to go to the hospital. Only the thought of Mikoto finding out about his mistake scared him more than the medics' accusations.

“Hn. Yes, she is,” he muttered wondering if anything will ever be the same after today. The expression Ryoko gave him… it broke his heart. For her to seriously think that he could hurt Itachi? 

He would never! The clan head was already prepared to stop his attack before Ryoko intervened. Fugaku was gathering his thoughts now and preparing to explain what spars are to his young daughter.

The only thing that calmed him, was the way Ryoko loved Itachi. Their bond was strong and he could not ask for more. At least her sharingan awakened in the compound and not in the middle of a battle.

Now he will have to teach her how to use it without fainting. In secret from Mikoto. He sighed collecting his unconscious daughter. The medic assured that there will be no scar left, thankfully.

 _They grow up so fast…_ he thought, patting Ryoko’s raven hair. It was wild and puffy, just like his. While Itachi looked more like Mikoto with his straight silky locks.

He sighed again. In a year, he will have to let her join the academy. Way too soon for his liking, but the war demanded recruits. He had to show an example. Sometimes he really cursed his fate as a clan head.

━━━━━━━━━━


	4. From 4 to 6

When Itachi finally joined the academy, Fugaku’s full attention was on her. Every evening they would train when he was back home from the front lines. In a way, Ryoko was glad of this development. She noticed how her big brother relaxed, from the pressure on him being relieved. Hell, the boy even played with Shisui now. And smiled more.

That in itself made the grueling practices worth it. Fugaku didn’t hold back, placing her in one genjutsu after the other. She was tortured. Had seen her whole family massacred. Had seen her own death. 

So basically nothing too bad. 

The use of sharingan still left her drained. She started meditating to work on her chakra reserves. It felt like pulling a string from a dusty pile. As she pulled harder, the string seemed to never end. The flow of chakra was like a drug. 

After noticing her quick improvements, her father forced her to learn how and keep her chakra concealed at all times. He said that a good shinobi should never reveal the true extent of their power. He was a smart man.

At age five, Ryoko was well on her way to be the next Madara Uchiha. She knew it in her guts, that that was her destiny. The girl even grew out a partial bang to cover one of her eyes as an homage to her idol.

“Ahhhh, I HATE HIM!” suddenly Obito appeared in her garden, while Ryoko was doing some stretches. Her dark eyes glanced at the boy.

“What’s the bastard’s name?” she said, narrowing her eyes. If anyone dared to mess with her clan, they would have to pay.

“Ryoko-hime, you’re just the cutest,” he smiled, dropping on the grass by her side. “It’s my teammate. The stupid Bakashi.”

What a strange name she thought to herself.

“Why stupid?” compared to her, most children were indeed stupid, but to hear Obito say it was another matter.

“He has this huge stick up his ass…” twack! Itachi was behind Obito now after serving her cousin a hit to the head.

“Watch your language in front of my sister, Obito-san,” Itachi smiled sweetly, but there was a dangerous edge to his words.

“Yeah yeah… I mean, he is taking my Rin away from me!”

“Rin?” Ryoko asked.

“Yeah, my other teammate. She’s the best!” the sparks in his eyes spoke louder than the praise he just said. The boy was head over heels in love. How cute.

“Rin and Obito, sitting in a tree. K. I. S. S. I. N. G,” she chuckled while the boys gaped at her. “What?”

“That’s… never heard that before…” Obito looked puzzled as his mind slowly tried to put her spelled-out letters into a word. As the blush started to color his face, Ryoko knew he finally got it. She smirked wider.

“Yeah, I came up with it just now,” she shrugged, while Obito was lost for words.

“Obito-san, you’re corrupting my sister,” Itachi said sweetly again.

“NO! Itachi-kun! Your sister is a freakin’ genius. Maybe if I ask Rin to sit with me in a tree away from Bakashi…” he was now muttering a plan under his breath.

Itachi frowned and it didn’t suit his face, Ryoko thought. But she understood his reaction. Who else if not Itachi could understand the deeper meaning behind the label ‘genius’.

“Koko, could you leave us for a bit, I have to have a talk with Obito-san,” Itachi smiled at her then. She sighed but nodded. How could she refuse, when he used that nickname from their childhood.

“Alright, big brother. Just don’t hurt him too much,” she said and gave the boy a hug before leaving back to the house.

While inside, she picked up a book about war strategies and started to read it.

“You read way too much, cousin,” another voice interrupted her from the entrance into the living room.

“Reading is fundamental, Shisui-kun,” she said, not evening looking his way.

“Pft! I do that enough in the academy,” the boy complained, taking a seat next to her.

“How is the academy?” she asked. Her eyes continued to read. It was nice to be able to keep a couple of trains of thought at the same time.

“Me and Itachi were placed in the advanced class. We will probably graduate by the end of the year.”

“Hmmm,” nothing surprising there considering their skills. Yet, early graduation would mean that her brother will be going outside the safety Konoha provided. She wanted to go into the academy soon so that she could protect Itachi. At least he had Shisui for now.

“Oh, and Itachi already has a bunch of fangirls!” the way Shisui smiled, was mischievous. He probably enjoyed her brother’s suffering from all the attention. Ryoko sighed.

“Names, Shisui, I need names. Then I will put them to their rightful place - away from my brother,” she deadpanned.

“Awww, you’re soooo cute, princess,” Shisui chuckled and then did something unusual. He poked her forehead. Ryoko could only blink at this weird action.

“Don’t frown, it will give you wrinkles,” he laughed. Ryoko pouted harder.

━━━━━━━━━━

Weeks went by. Father was at war. Obito was off doing missions. Shisui and Itachi were in the academy or training afterward. Ryoko was alone.

She felt loneliness growing in her, but there was nothing she really could do about it. It was their duty to serve Konoha. So when one day, her mother suggested a playdate, Ryoko reluctantly accepted.

Usually, she would prefer to train or read, but Mikoto persisted.

That is how Ryoko ended up being pushed inside the Nara compound. She read about them. A smart and lazy bunch. While Mikoto chatted with some woman, Ryoko stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a stance mimicking that of Madara’s she learned from the paintings.

“Aww, so this is your little Ryoko-chan? Nice to meet you, darling,” the other woman gushed.

“Hn,” Ryoko said her dry greeting unamused.

“Shikaku, come and meet our guest!” the woman yelled to the back of her home.

“Ryoko, darling, this is the Nara clan head’s, behave,” Mikoto pushed the girl forward expecting Ryoko to give a proper bow. The problem is, Ryoko never bowed to anyone. Nara were no exception. The girl only gave a nod of acknowledgment to the young adult who entered the room. Mikoto sighed.

“Hmmm, wanna play shogi, kid?” the man named Shikaku asked. This probably was not what her mother expected to happen from the playdate, but Ryoko gladly accepted. Anything was better than dealing with small children.

In hindsight, this probably was Nara clan heads' way of testing the waters and checking Ryoko out before allowing her to mingle with the kids from his clan.

So they played a game of shogi. It was similar to chess from her past life. Quickly she got the hang of it but still couldn’t win a single game against the man.

A worthy opponent, Ryoko deducted. 

That is how her ‘playdates’ turned into games of shogi with adult Nara clansmen. Everyone was happy with it. Except for Mikoto. Her mother sulked for days.

━━━━━━━━━━

Itachi and Shisui were training like always after the lessons. It was almost time for their graduation.

“So, your sister will be going to the academy soon, huh?” Shisui panted out avoiding the kunai.

“Hn.”

“Hey, don’t be so upset. It will be good for her! I doubt she will finish it as quickly as we did.”

“She will,” Itachi’s answers were too dry on the topic and Shisui felt obligated to dig deeper.

“Oh? Yeah, I know she’s smart, but it’s not only about that in there.”

“Hn. Father has been training her past few years,” Itachi remarked. It didn’t look like he was upset by the attention Fugaku gave to Ryoko.

“So? He trained you too. He has a reputation to protect,” Shisui said after sending a Katon jutsu.

“That’s not why.”

Okay, now Shisui’s interest was really piqued. He adored both of his cousins to bits, so naturally, their business was his business.

“Why then?”

Itachi stopped mid-swing of his fist and sighed. Shisui noticed how quickly the boy created at least seven genjutsu around them for privacy. _Interesting._

“Promise me, Shisui, that you can keep a secret?”

“You bet I can!”

“Ryoko… she has awakened her sharingan,” Itachi’s voice was like a whisper, but he heard it alright.

“Shit,” Shisui’s hands dropped by his sides.

“Yeah.”

“But she’s like… what, almost six?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait! When did it happen?”

“Two years ago.”

Shisui openly gaped. This was unheard of! For a child to develop their dojutsu at such a young age. She was smart and all, but this was not a kekkei genkai like Byakugan. You had to…

“How?!” the boy urgently asked dreading to hear the answer. 

It turned out to be not as bad as he initially imagined. Actually, it was even funny.

“Aww, Ryoko-chan protected you! You have the best little sister ever.”

“Shisui! That’s not the point!”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” the smile on his face was gone quicker than he could shunshin’ed. And that was already saying something. Both of the boys knew what it meant. Shinobi who are considered geniuses, the prodigy among peers, they were the first ones to be sent on dangerous missions. They were often the first ones to face the death and the horrors of the war. All because of their exceptional skill.

“She’ll be fine, Itachi. She’s clever. Just ask her to keep a low profile, yeah?” Shisui tried his best to stay optimistic, but he wasn’t sure he believed the words that left his mouth. For an Uchiha to keep a low profile was like asking a Hyuga to have a food fight. Not happening.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ryoko didn’t hold back during her entrance exam. She wanted to get into the academy as quickly as possible and be done with it. The clan praised her results, only Itachi was more subdued with his reaction. His concern was sweet, but she had to protect him. Even though he was older, she was mentally the eldest one. 

On her first day, Ryoko was taken to the academy gates by Mikoto. Fugaku was back in the front lines fighting for the village.

“Alright, darling, please, just _please_ don’t sleep during class, okay?” her mother pleaded. 

“Yes, mother,” she agreed, not really intending to keep the promise. Finally, though she was free to go inside after the opening ceremony.

Her classroom was on the top floor. When she opened the door, Ryoko didn’t even falter in her steps while all the eyes were pinned on her little form.

“Oh no, another one…” she heard the other kids whisper. They were far older than she was.

“Ah, Ryoko Uchiha. I will be your sensei, Kabure Tokisuki. Please introduce to the class,” chunin said with a kind smile. She almost smirked at his naive misconception, that she was a small fragile child.

The girl stopped next to him in front of the class. Her arms went to rest crossed over her chest. She looked more like a substitute teacher with the way her eyes observed every kid with stern determination.

“Nice to meet you. I am Ryoko Uchiha,” that’s really all they need to know about her.

“Mmm, Ryoko-chan, why don’t you tell us more about yourself. Like the things you like, the things you hate. Your hobbies. Your dreams of the future,” Tokisuki sensei suggested.

“I like some things and I dislike some other things. My hobbies are not relevant. And my dreams for the future are my own to know.”

“Ahhaha! Okay, please take a seat,” the teacher accepted her answer reluctantly, while the class whispered even more. Their eyes sent very unkind stares her away. Ryoko almost felt at home. Dealing with negative reactions was easier than dealing with smiles and kindness. She smirked, planning how she would crush every single one of them if they dared to stand in her way.

━━━━━━━━━━


	5. From 6 to 7

“...what a freak…”

“Another stuck-up Uchiha…”

“...wait for the sparing to start…”

That is what Ryoko’s classmates thought of her. She couldn’t blame them as she really didn’t try to blend in. In her past life, the girl worked hard to create and maintain a perfect mask. To get to know people, manipulate them into a false sense of security.

Here, however, she didn’t feel a need for it. She was an Uchiha. She was entitled. But most of all, she didn’t have time to play around. You can either force people into submission with kindness or using sheer power. She chose the latter.

Teachers would ask her questions at first until they realized that she had the whole curriculum and more memorized. By now Ryoko was left to her own devices. She would sit in the back with her eyes closed and chin perched on her laced fingers.

No, she was not sleeping! Most of the time… Ryoko decided to use this time in the academy to passively listen and meditate. She just couldn’t get enough of her own chakra and there was always that feeling urging her to expand her limits and control.

Naturally, other students only sensed the chakra she allowed them to. So they had no idea of her true potential until the sparring exercises. At the end of her first week, such a session happened. They were gathered in one of the training grounds around the academy.

“Ryoko-chan, your turn,” sensei called her gently. Naive idiot. She stepped forward with her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t grace her opponent with a full bow, only a nod.

The girl in front of her was clearly a Hyuga. This had to be fun. Maybe they acknowledged her smarts, but no one had expected her to stand on equal ground with an older student.

Father had forbidden her from using sharingan outside their sessions and especially in the academy, so it had to be a taijutsu and ninjutsu fight. Ryoko evaded precise hits with ease. Her father was more relentless when the two of them sparred.

Still with her hands crossed over her chest, Ryoko toyed with the girl.

“Ryoko-chan, I must see you counter,” the sensei carefully encouraged. She sighed dodging another hit. The Hyuga girl had already activated her Byakugan.

Another swipe, Ryoko dodged under it and was now shadowing the girl's steps back to back, pissing her opponent even more. She finally dropped her hands into a fighting stance and attacked the Hyuga.

Maneuvering her hands to avoid any contact, Ryoko targeted the vital points. Maybe she couldn’t see chakra points like Hyuga, but she knew anatomy well enough to make her hits count.

Chest, neck, sternum. Her opponent was breathing heavily. During the whole fight, Hyuga only managed to touch Ryoko once to the shoulder. It’s good that young Uchiha was not planning to use any jutsu. With taijutsu alone, it took her another minute to finish it up.

Hyuga dropped to the ground knocked out. There was silence. Her classmates were fuming but now regarded Ryoko with more than hate. Respect.

━━━━━━━━━━

Evening at the Uchiha household was quiet. Her father was still at war. Itachi was out on his first mission outside the village. It was only her and Mikoto sitting by the dinner table.

“Darling, how was the academy?” her mother asked.

“Acceptable.”

“Hn.”

“Hn.”

“How about boys? Did any catch your eye?”

Ryko looked up at her mother with one raised eyebrow. Seriously? She was only six years old. Although to be fair, she probably should be glad that her parents have not arranged a marriage for her. Yet.

“No,” she answered without much emotion instead favoring to put more grilled meat into her plate.

“Hmmm, maybe,” her mother started carefully eyeing her daughter's plate,” it’s time for you to think more about… your figure? Maybe a diet?”

Ryoko was now fully staring at Mikoto. Was her mother really a kunoichi? She should know better than suggest having fewer calories for a person who is training day in and day out. 

Without breaking eye contact, Ryoko snagged three pieces of juicy meat with her chopsticks and placed them in her mouth. SO, that was a no on the diet question.

━━━━━━━━━━

One thing Ryoko did hate about her body, how weak it sometimes was. She didn’t sleep as much as when she was a toddler, but still, the strain of training and her mind constantly working got to her. She eventually worked out a schedule.

Every week or at least once a month, Ryoko would take what she called a ‘day off’. She would sleep and do absolutely nothing. It was her way of recharging. Checking out her brain for a day was a blessing. After which, she could train even harder.

Sunday was that day. She slept till mid-day. She would stay in her bed even longer, but today was an exception. Itachi was due to come back from his mission and she really missed him.

Reluctantly, Ryoko got herself out of the comfortable sheets and dressed. She opted out to wear a fluffy hoodie with cat ears on the hood itself that covered her black hair. It was comfy. If she had to step outside, she might as well feel good.

Still yawning every other step, the girl made it to the gates of Konoha. Two guards by the entrance smiled at her cute little self.

“Hey there, kid, you lost?” one asked leaning to her level. She yawned.

“Nah, shinobi-san. I’m good.”

“Kitty, this probably is not a place for you to be,” another guard tried gently to shoo her away. Ryoko really didn’t have it in her to frown and be stern today.

“My brother should return soon from his first mission. I miss him,” was what she said instead.

“Aww, well aren’t you adorable,” the first guard chuckled. They were clearly amused.

In about thirty minutes a team of genin finally approached the gates. The guards straightened up greeting them. Itachi noticed her in an instance and smiled.

“Ryoko,” he greeted her with a warm hug. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed how the guards shared _a look_.

No doubt, most shinobi already heard about Fugaku’s genius children. Of course, they wouldn’t expect a cute little girl to be one of them.

“Onii-san, welcome back,” she smiled up at him.

“What about me, Ryoko-hime?” Shisui was also there waiting for his own hug.

“If I must,” she sighed with pretend reluctance. He got a hug too. It was good to see the two boys together and safe. She worried about them way too often.

“Is it your ‘day off’?” Itachi smiled, poking at her hood cat ear.

“Yup!”

“Why don’t we get some dango?” he suggested. She could hug him again. So she did. The boys said goodbyes to their team and the three of them left.

“So, how’s the academy?” Shisui asked when they settled in one of the cafes.

“Boring,” Ryoko yawned perching her chin on the table.

“Are they treating you well?” Itachi asked.

“I guess so.”

“They are not being mean to you? If so, just tell us!” Shisui could be scary when he wanted to. All Uchiha had that quality. And she was positive, that both boys would not be happy with the comments she received from other kids.

“Define ‘mean’?”

“Are they picking on you?”

“Nop.”

“Did you have to spar with them already?”

“Yup. Beat up this Hyuga girl,” Ryoko smiled.

“That’s my girl!” Shisui ruffled her hood with a pleased nod.

━━━━━━━━━━

When Ryoko turned seven, she really could not see anymore point in the academy, but she didn’t skip a single class. Teachers already mentioned that she could graduate early. Ah, the joy of growing up in wartime.

The only classes that did offer something she hadn’t read about were the kunoichi classes. As Ryoko was in the higher level grade, she skipped the whole boring part of ikebana and now faced more serious topics like rape, seduction, and how to deal with periods while on a mission.

Fun.

Actually, it wasn’t that different from war tactics she was familiar with from her former life. Rape was used by non-shinobi too. When a woman is captured, men cannot resist using her or breaking her that way.

What did surprise her, was the lesson she got from Fugaku one day.

“Ryoko, there will be a day when you will go out on a mission. And despite your skills, there might be a scenario, when you are captured.”

“Yes, father, I am aware,” she said calmly.

“As an Uchiha you have to know one very important thing - if an enemy will know that you are an Uchiha, they will try to take your eyes.”

“Oh,” her mouth made a round shape of surprise. It was so obvious and yet she never considered such possible actions. “They can do that?”

“Yes, honey. Those like us, who hold a dojutsu are often targets for their eyes. So if you can predict that you will be captured, make sure to hide the fact that you are an Uchiha at all costs. Promise me, okay?”

“Yes, father. I promise. No one will take my eyes,” she smiled sweetly but it was also vicious. “And then when they let their guard down, I will unleash the full extent of sharingan on their sorry asses!”

“Ryoko! Language!”

“Sorry, father.”

“Okay, then, let’s start our training?”

━━━━━━━━━━

Yes, Ryoko was forbidden from using her sharingan outside the training. Yes, she promised not to use it. But… Well, she honestly saw this more like a challenge than a restriction.

It took her six months to find a solution. She never read about it before, not seen any other person do so, but the idea was pretty genius if she could say so herself.

After long hours of practice in her own room, Ryoko finally achieved it - activating only one of her eyes at a time. Honestly, what’s the point of the thick fringe covering her eye if she couldn’t hide a trick behind it?

“Ryoko, come here,” her father called for her from the other room.

She deactivated her right eye and went to see what was up. She noticed something was off right away. In the living room was her father with Itachi and Shisui. All of their expressions were void of emotion, meaning there was something bad hidden behind those stone faces.

“Yes, father?” she asked curiously.

“Obito was lost on a mission,” he announced, eyes stern and not wavering. 

“Lost as in…?” she clarified.

“He is presumed dead. His teammates reported back.”

“I see.”

“Are you okay, Koko?” Itachi asked, grasping her small hand to show support.

“Hn,” was all she said. They knew how close Ryoko was to their cousin. But this was war. People were going to die. Death didn’t scare her.

Thankfully, she was about to graduate from the academy and enemies will see her wrath first hand. They didn’t discuss the matter further. Itachi took her to train instead. He looked worried more than anyone.

He recently awakened his own sharingan and now they could spar more or less like equals. Neither was holding back but in a good manner. They were not competing with each other. The worry for one other was what forced them to hold nothing back.

━━━━━━━━━━


	6. Lucky number 8

Ryoko didn’t cry. She didn’t yell. She didn’t break stuff. She closed her eyes and breathed in. One of her dearest clan people was lost. No body was recovered. He was officially 'missing in action'. 

She was sure that they didn’t look hard enough. Why would they when all the forces were focused on the war? Nobody cared about some Uchiha kid. Except her. She cared. 

At this moment, Ryoko understood how irrelevant her powers were. Yes, she was quick and could use pretty difficult genjutsu. She mastered some ninjutsu too, but that was about it. What if another person gets hurt? She couldn’t heal them. What if someone else is lost? She wouldn’t have the skills to find them. 

It was a frustrating realization, to say the least. Academy hadn’t thought anything even close to what she needed. Her father was so focused on her sharingan, that any other skills were neglected. Ryoko understood that if she wanted to be somebody, to go somewhere, she had to wake up from the secure bubble she was in and pay attention.

The answer was simple - she needed a teacher. Someone to guide her. Someone who could be open to new jutsu. Someone who would not coddle her and assess her with scientific accuracy. Someone who would not be afraid of Uchiha. Someone strong.

After graduation, Ryoko got a month off before the new genin would be assigned into teams and get their senseis. Closing in on her eighth birthday, she wasn’t an idiot ready to bid her time in anticipation. Ryoko did her research in the library. Genin team archives were open to other genin. To her.

Knowing the village by now, she saw a pattern. Same physical attributes were lumped together into proven combinations. How boring, she thought. Then the girl moved on to available jonin records.

A sensei had to be at least a jonin. There were a few on the list, but none stood up. Except for a very small handful. One Minato Namikaze looked smart and intelligent. But he already had a team. What a shame… and…

Her hands shivered after noticing the names of the man’s genin team. Obito… that was his sensei. She couldn’t continue with her research after that. It has been a few months since her cousin perished. The pain still felt fresh.

Ryoko wandered around the village until it started getting dark. She didn’t want to go back home just yet. There was a sense of frustration building up under her skin. Her father would be displeased by her missing dinner, but Ryoko didn’t care.

She ran with shinobi speed across the rooftops, jumping from one to the other with trained ease. It felt like flying. Like when you reach the highest point with a swing…

In practiced motions, her legs took the girl to the village wall. She jumped over it, just barely missing a couple of guards. Not like she hasn’t done this before.

Sometimes Ryoko would sneak out with Shisui and Itachi to train in the forest outside of Konoha. Away from prying eyes to train together with sharingan. They both helped her to maintain control. Once, Shisui said that her instability was due to the large amount of chakra she had. 

Itachi was never happy with these excursions, but the need for training trumped his reservations. He knew that she would do it anyway, so might as well go together for extra protection.

For a while, Ryoko jumped on branches not really sure where she was going until something caught her senses. A chakra. Strong presence approaching Konoha. Despite how far away it was, Ryoko still felt the waves of power from it. It had to be strong.

Scrunching her face, the girl jumped down on the grass. She could go back and alert someone. But… with the speed this target moved, she would be late and the target would get too close…

Confident in her abilities, Ryoko decided to meet this target head-on. Hell, this is exactly why she trained her eyes so much. No person could stand against sharingan. And Madara surely would not run away, so neither did Ryoko.

It took a while before a running figure emerged on the horizon. Ryoko’s eyes shined red with tomoe spinning quickly to take all that she could. It was a girl. A child or maybe a teen. _How could a child have such chakra inside of her?_ she spared a thought, but then her mind went blank.

It was action time. Without much hesitation, Ryoko leaped forward and made eye contact with the girl. That is all she needed. The world around them blurred as the target was placed under a sleeping genjutsu. 

Fugaku probably would not approve of torture… yet. So Ryoko made the girl sleep. Eyes unblinking and red, she stepped closer to the limp body of the girl. She turned her around and noticed a Konoha headband.

“Interesting…” she muttered before her senses made Ryoko take out a kunai and defend from an attack. A boy with silver hair was next to her. A tanto blade aimed at her. He froze when he looked into her eyes.

“Uchiha?” he whispered what looked like with a relieved sigh. Ryoko crossed her arms with a scowl, kunai already back in her pouch.

“Obviously. What’s the meaning of this?” she demanded as her eyes noticed a Konoha headband on the boy's head as well.

“We were attacked. Rin… we have to take her to Konoha quickly!” he already bent down to scoop the unconscious girl into his arms, while Ryoko assessed the situation. Rin. So this was _that_ Rin. Then, the silver-haired boy had to be…

“Bakashi?” she curled her eyebrow in question.

“Tck. THERE’S NO TIME! WE HAVE TO HURRY!” the boy snapped at her. He was shaken up, so probably not thinking clearly.

“Stop!” Ryoko took his wrist demanding attention. “There is something wrong with _her_. I can tell and I will not allow her to endanger Konoha!”

The boy literally growled at her pulling his arm free. Then both of their attention was taken by new guests. Her trusty kunai made a second appearance as Ryoko braced for an attack. 

“RUN!” the boy shouted at her, but Ryoko stood tall and strong in front of the Rin girl preventing him from taking the girl or any attacks harming her. 

“No! So move your ass and defend yourself _and_ your friend!” she snarled without much compassion. They were warriors, not children. And definitely not cowards. The boy cursed something behind his mask but turned around to face the enemy instead of Ryoko.

The girl recognized the enemy headband as those from the Village Hidden in the Mist. The question, however, was why would they target two children? This raised even more suspicion to Ryoko. She in all honesty could not ignore the fierce chakra cumming off Rin. It felt… foul. 

Even more interesting was to see how all attacks were aimed at her and the boy and _not_ Rin. Like they wanted the girl alive… Well, that made it easier for the duo. Ryoko evaded and quickly slashed necks without hesitation.

This was her first kill in this world. It was exhilarating. The feeling of adrenaline mixed with her chakra was like a drug. She got hit only a couple of times. Once a man landed a kick to her stomach. The other time, she could not evade kunai mid-air.

Unacceptable. Ryoko was sure that Madara would never be hurt so easily. It really pissed her off. So she burned them. From inside out. Loud screams echoed over the forest as the whole clearing now smelled of burned flesh. 

The boy wasn’t doing that bad either. With the corner of her eye, Ryoko noticed that his previously covered eye was now wide open and… red! He had sharingan! That moment of distraction was what earned her a kunai injury to her arm.

Both of them panted hard as they landed beside Rin. Last enemies, incapacitated by flames or genjutsu, got their necks sliced and hearts pierced just in case. They were alone again.

“We...have… to… hurry,” the boy started again catching his breath.

“No! There is… something… inside of her! I will not allow it in Konoha!” Ryoko would not be swayed by some gray-haired child. She was an Uchiha, not a pushover.

“But…”

She wasn’t listening anymore and kneeled next to the girl to examine her. Maybe it was something on her, giving off the weird chakra. Then she noticed strange ink marks on Rin’s skin.

“Fuinjutsu…” she muttered examining the symbols. The chakra was definitely inside the girl. Once again, Ryoko felt helpless. She had no knowledge of seals and how to counter them. But she knew how innocent writing could bring devastation from what she read about Uzushiogakure.

“Bakashi!”

“IT’S Kakashi!”

“Whatever! Do you know of anyone in Konoha who is good with seals?”

“Yes… my sensei, but he’s on a mission…”

Ah, Minato. The bastard was indeed a smart sensei she would not mind having. But even the skilled man could not help them now.

“Anyone else?”

“Hmm.. maybe… Kushina-san? Kushina Uzumaki,” the boy named _Kakashi_ finally calmed down enough to hold a conversation and start thinking. By the glint in his eyes, Ryoko could tell that he understood where she was going with this.

“Uzumaki, huh?” she smirked. What a lucky thing to have an Uzumaki handy. She gave a decisive nod. “Alright. Go get her and I will guard Rin here.”

“NO! You’re just a child!”

Ryoko’s deadpanned look should have explained everything. And if not that, then the blood on her uniform should. But he really thought of her as some weakling genin girl.

“Get your sorry butt back to Konoha and bring Kushina here! I am Ryoko Uchiha and you should know better than to doubt my clan’s skills. With my genjutsu, not even you will be able to find me,” that was a bit of a stretch to be fair. Yes, she could hide herself, but Rin… That chakra is like a single candle in the night. It was a beacon for trouble.

Yet Ryoko took it as a challenge. Kakashi looked back between two girls but eventually nodded. He leaped away towards Konoha when Ryoko was starting the first hand signs for her layers of genjutsu.

One. Two. Three. Four for the fun of it. Five for her paranoia. And finally six for the lucky number. Ryoko leaned closer to the unconscious girl. Looks like her genjutsu was still working just fine. 

The wait was tense. Ryoko reacted to every little sound with a raised kunai. Sometimes a bone of a fallen enemy would splinter from all the heat that burned the flesh away. That sound was familiar and actually calmed her down.

Burning bodies always took long in her past life. But it was like a campfire for psychopaths like herself and her former father. She recalled distant memories with a fond smile. He would be proud of her. Her father, despite his killing sprees, never harmed a child, only protected them.

CRUNCH. She snapped her head to the sound in the distance. It was not coming from the Konoha direction. No, it was a broken branch maybe two hundred feet away. She scrunched her eyes focusing on the darkness, but there was nothing.

━━━━━━━━━━

Fugaku sat by the table with his eyes closed and arms crossed. His fingers tapped impatiently on his arm.

“She missed dinner,” Mikoto whispered, returning to the dining room and sitting by his side with a worried expression on her face.

“Hn.”

“And she _never_ misses dinner.”

“ _Hn_ ,” that was true and didn’t make it easier on Fugaku. He didn’t recall Ryoko being upset the past couple of days or angry enough to run off in a tantrum. Yes, she was more closed off last few months after the news about Obito, but still. It was looking like she coped with the issue well enough. 

“Honey, it’s her birthday tomorrow.”

“ **Hn** ,” the present he prepared laid on the empty table.

“Fugaku, please. I am worried.”

“Itachi,” the man called for his son, who did not pretend well enough to be reading a book in the next room. He could feel both Mikoto and Itachi worried. The boy appeared in the doorway almost instantly.

“Yes, father?”

“Find your sister. Take Shisui with you,” he ordered as the line between being a father and a clan head blurred. He strictly pushed back the thoughts of someone possibly attacking his girl. It was not unheard of. 

“Yes,” Itachi bowed before leaving with a shunshin. Fugaku sighed.

“Don’t worry so much, Mikoto, you’ll get wrinkles,” he said more gently to his wife. She hugged him in response. Of course, the woman was worried - she didn’t know about Ryoko’s skills. Fugaku could only hope that it was childish antics and nothing more.

━━━━━━━━━━

Ryoko looked around. Her head snapped again to the other side. Two chakra signatures came into her sensory field. One was cold and staticky. Kakashi. The other was… bright. Big as life itself. But it also had that same odd powerful and vile chakra coiled in the core.

_Interesting._

Two figures appeared in the clearing and only then did Ryoko drop the genjutsu she had around herself and Rin. Next to the boy stood a tall redhead woman.

“For Kami’s sake!” the woman rushed to their side, probably expecting to see an injury on Rin.

“Uzumaki-san, some kind of seals were placed on this girl,” Ryoko reported back giving the redhead some room. The woman glanced at her making a double-take on Ryoko’s hair and red eyes.

“Ryoko-hime! What are you doing here?” the girl blinked surprised from the first name basis.

“I… was passing by. I noticed odd and dangerous chakra within this girl,” Ryoko carefully explained. “It actually feels similar to your chakra, Uzumaki-san.”

Alright, maybe Ryoko did manipulate those around her a little bit. She noticed how instantly the woman’s face paled and all other matters were forgotten. No more questions directed towards her. All attention fell on Rin. Good. 

Ryoko stepped back to give them some space and instinctively started to look around for any possible enemies. She had this feeling… on the back of her neck. Her former father once called it a reptile brain. A primal sense of danger. A sense of a predator nearby.

And this feeling appeared way before Kakashi returned with the seal mistress. Ryoko didn’t blink as she scanned the dark woods.

_There!_

In a distance she noticed something move. Without saying a word, the girl ran towards it. For normal people, all instinct would tell to turn around and run the opposite way. It’s good that she wasn’t normal. She liked the sense of danger. Another challenge to prove herself worthy of protecting her precious people and comrades.

The feeling of fight escaped her the moment she saw the bushy head of hair. Her legs stopped and she just stared in that one red eye.

Shit. She messed up. Ryoko felt foreign chakra simmering around her as a genjutsu took place around her senses. The sky was red with black clouds.

“Obi…” she whispered to the bandaged man in front of her. Suddenly a spear appeared from nowhere and pierced her into her abdomen. Ryoko coughed, but her mind knew that this all was fake. “OBI! SNAP OUT OF IT!” she grunted out ignoring the pain.

“Koko?” the whisper reached her when the world got dark. When her eyes opened next, everything was back to the beginning. Red sky, black clouds, no injuries. Then another spear appeared and stabbed her to the back. She was so helpless.

“OBI! Are you going to play with me or help Rin instead?” she pushed words over the pain. It was not real, but it felt real. The power of sharingan was something special. Her eyes wanted to shut again, but it would all repeat again, so she forced them open.

Her sharingan desperately worked to disperse this odd genjutsu. If only she could… her eyes met again with his sole visible eye. Ryoko pushed the chakra she had into the act. The world around them started to shatter. Pieces of it fell like walls of a sandcastle and a calm garden revealed itself. 

It was her home garden. There so many times the two had played before.

“Obi, play with me?” she asked gently as her appearance took her younger self's form. It was a dirty tactic, to try and appeal to his buried memories. But she had no choice. Something forced Obito to act the way he did. Something was done to him, while he was missing.

“Ryoko?” the man rasped as if seeing her for the first time.

“Yes! Obi, that’s me, come,” she beckoned him to the shade under a tree. Slowly he followed her to the ground. She hugged him, weaving her tiny hands into his hair.

“You’re so tired, Obi. Take a nap, okay?” she coed into his ear. The boy relaxed, but she didn’t disrupt the illusion until his eye fully closed.

Panting hard, Ryoko snapped back to reality. Her eyes hurt from overuse, but at least Obito was now knocked out on the ground. On shaky legs, she came closer and kneeled next to him. 

“Obi… what happened to you?” she whispered, not daring to touch him yet. The moon was above them illuminating the ground with silver light. It was late. Very late. Probably over midnight by now.

“Happy birthday to me,” she smiled. This was a present Ryoko would have never expected to get. Obito was back. _She found him!_

“Koko?” the girl heard a voice behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know that it was her brother.

“Itachi… I found him!” she said. Her legs felt not as shaky anymore. Ryoko stood up and looked back. Itachi had a serious expression on his face, while her other cousin looked completely stunned.

“Obito?... well shit…” Shisui muttered.

What happened next felt like a blur. She recalled Itachi hugging her and asking many questions. About the cuts and bruises, she had. About the unconscious girl. About Kakashi. About Obito… She spoke on autopilot feeling the downer from adrenalin finally show its toll.

“You’re hurt,” Itachi whispered gently brushing blood from her cheek.

“Don’t you know any medical ninjutsu?” she smirked despite her whole body wanting to faint.

“No…”

“Hn. You should…” she trailed off, as her mouth no longer wanted to cooperate.

Shisui disappeared somewhere with unconscious Obito in a flicker. She didn’t even protest when Itachi took her into his arms. Ryoko felt tired, her eyes just closed by themselves from exhaustion. She was safe now. They all were safe.

━━━━━━━━━━


	7. A Favor

The first thing Ryoko recognized was the smell. It was a familiar sterile environment. For a moment she wanted to call out for her daddy, but quickly the memories came back to her. Shinobi. Blood. Obito.

Right, she was far away from home. She was in her new home now, full of mysterious chakra and ninja fighting to survive. Carefully her eyes fluttered to adjust to the light. Surprisingly, it was dim in her room. 

“Ryoko?” her eyes darted to the noise. There was a man standing by the window, with his head illuminated by the moonlight.

“Father,” she greeted Fugaku with a relieved sigh. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, stepping closer to her bed.

 _Like I had a downer after ten cups of coffee._ “Fine. I found Obito,” she recalled.

“Yes, you did,” he hummed.

“Is he… alright?” she had to ask it. The last time the boy stood in front of her, he did not hesitate to attack her. The bandages also covered most of his body. He had to be injured. Or at least hit in the head severely.

“He is being watched right now,” there was a tinge of distaste in Fugaku’s voice that made her wonder what did his words meant.

“Watched as in… interrogated?” the man let out a deep sigh before answering.

“You are too smart for your own good, Ryoko.”

She smirked. That she was, but her father didn’t look like he was sharing her amusement at the moment.

“Promise me, that you will never do that again.”

“Do… what exactly?”

“Runoff without telling us. Engaging with enemies without a team. Running into danger,” he sounded angry.

“Father, I am a shinobi now. It is my duty to protect Konoha and my comrades.”

She could swear that Fugaku winced at her words, but his expression said nothing.

“How did you know they were Leaf shinobi? They could have been pretending.”

“I would see through a henge. Besides, they were running _away_ from Kiri nin.”

“Yet, you saw that the girl was dangerous?”

“Yes…”

“How?”

“Her chakra… it was wrong. There was something dark and awful inside of her. I could not let her near Konoha.”

Fugaku only gave a curt nod accepting her reasoning.

“Rest now, Ryoko. Hokage-sama will want to speak with you in the morning.”

He didn’t have to ask her twice. The girl closed her eyes resting on the fluffy pillows. Sleep sounded divine and she welcomed it like an old friend.

Just like promised, the next time Ryoko awoke was from a man entering her hospital room. She looked around. Morning sun shimmered with gentle rays on the walls and floors.

“Good morning, Ryoko-chan,” Hokage said as he settled to stand at the foot of her bed.

“Hokage-sama,” she gave a nod with her head.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“That’s good to hear. We were all worried about you when your brother brought you to the hospital two days ago.”

 _Two days??_ she hardly suppressed her surprise. Well fuck. This was no good. If she will get knocked out for that long after every fight… Ryoko could only give a nod with her sullen feelings of self-deprecation circling her mind at the moment.

“So, tell me what exactly happened that night.”

“I wanted to train a bit when I sensed a strong chakra heading towards Konoha.”

“Strange? How so?”

“Mmm, well usually I feel the chakra of people around me. But compared to anyone else… it could not compare. That chakra felt… bad. And big. And dangerous.”

“Ah, so you are a sensor?”

“I guess so.”

“So if it felt dangerous, why didn’t you alert anyone?”

“It was moving too fast. I thought, that by the time I found someone, it would be too late. I could not allow anyone to endanger Konoha.”

“That is very admirable of you,” the old man nodded with a gentle smile on his lips. “What happened then?”

“Well, I am an Uchiha. I know what sharingan can do and it seemed like the best decision - to incapacitate the target and then call for backup.”

“Hmmm, it didn’t say in your file, that you have unlocked your dojutsu yet?”

Father will not be happy with her telling the secret so openly, but it was her Hokage. The old man would know, either way, so she had to come clean as vaguely as possible.

“Academy did not present a situation where I would have to activate it,” she shrugged casually. When in doubt, say less as to not incriminate yourself, that was what Ryoko believed in. 

“I see. So tell me what happened when you encountered Rin-chan?”

“I put her under a sleeping genjutsu. Only then I noticed that she was a Konoha nin. But… there was something wrong with her.”

“Wrong how?”

“The chakra. Strange ink marks on her skin. I recognized it as some fuinjutsu. From what I read, seals could be dangerous. At the moment, I was pretty sure that she was a Trojan horse.”

“A what?”

Shit. Of course, they wouldn’t know Greek history.

“I once read about how civilians built this big horse, they named it Trojan and sent it as a gift to their enemy. As a sign of goodwill. But actually, inside the horse, an army was hidden and they attacked the village when the horse was inside its walls. As far as I knew at that moment, the seal could have made the girl into a bomb or something.”

“Very interesting,” he hummed, but Ryoko wasn’t sure if he really believed in it. “Why did fuinjutsu scare you that much?”

“Because… I don’t know much about it and if I don’t know about it, it could be anything…” Ryoko felt a blush creep to her cheeks from admitting her weakness and lack of knowledge.

“Well, caution is a good trait for a shinobi,” Hokage said kindly, probably swayed by her vulnerability. Ha! The naive fool! But as long as he was of her case, Ryoko would take it.

“So… how is that girl? Rin?”

“She is fine. You made the right call by asking Kakashi-kun to bring a seal master. Konoha is thankful for your service,” He added with an approving smile. Ryoko nodded. Good. She did not bring shame to her clan and in the end, that’s what mattered.

“So, Ryoko-chan, what happened next?”

“Well, I was looking around in case there were more enemies. That is when I noticed something…” 

“Obito.”

Ryoko nodded again, casting her eyes down to the white sheets covering her body.

“He looked hurt… And he didn’t recognize me at first. So I placed him under a sleep genjutsu too... Where is he now?” she felt a painful sting in her heart. Father didn't say much to calm her worry. Obito just had to be fine... after she just got him back, Ryoko was not ready to lose him again.

“We are monitoring him. You should not be worried…”

“But I am! He is my cousin!” Ryoko allowed for her feelings to show this one instance as she looked into the old eyes of Hokage.

“He will be fine. Trust me.”

She did not feel reassured but nodded either way. No point in arguing. She would have to persuade an easier target to get her answers. Surely, her own father will be more forthcoming next time they talk.

“Alright, Hokage-sama. When can I go home?” she added calmly emotions securely sealed back under her mask of indifference.

“Later today, now rest until the doctor comes,” he waved goodbye. Ryoko only nodded once in response. She had no time to waste in the hospital. If there was one thing she learned from the encounter, it was that she is miles away from Madara’s level of strength. She needed to be better. To get stronger, but she could not do it alone. She needed a sensei.

━━━━━━━━━━

A few days later, the Uchiha household received a guest. Ryoko was reading a book in the living room when a knock disrupted the silence. Face scrunched with annoyance, she walked to open the door. From the feel of chakra behind it, the person had to be a shinobi.

“Yes?” Ryoko said, looking up at a tall blond man with blue eyes. He had a cheerful smile, but she really didn’t have time for any disturbances. 

“Ah, you must be Ryoko-chan?”

“Yes, the last time I checked,” she answered dryly, the man snickered. Even though his stance was relaxed and laid back, she could tell that he was strong. Not a genin for sure.

“Is Fugaku-sama home?”

Ryoko’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Not often some random people dared to step into the Uchiha compound. Usually, if they wanted her father's attention, they would go to the Police Station, so this was not official business.

“And you are...?”

“Ah! How rude of me! I am Minato Namikaze,” he smiled even brighter. Too bad that public records did not have pictures next to the jonins. She would have recognized him sooner. But the question still remained, what did he want from her father. Ryoko gave a curt nod in greeting and waved her hand for him to enter.

She led the man to their reception room, that’s how she called it. It was a traditional-style tatami room, where they would invite guests.

“Please wait here, Minato-san,” Ryoko said before leaving to get her father who was working in his study. She followed Fugaku back into the tatami room because her curiosity was stronger than manners. And well, her father did not dismiss her yet, so might as well use the opportunity.

“Fugaku-sama!” Minato bowed deeply before the clan head. Father nodded in response taking a seat. Minato followed suit and settled in front of Fugaku, while Ryoko took a spot on the left side. The right side next to Fugaku was low key, always reserved for the heir of the clan - her brother.

“How can I help you, Minato-san?”

The blond straightened up and his carefree expression also faded, replaced by the seriousness of a seasoned shinobi.

“Fugaku-sama, I am here to express my utmost gratitude to your daughter, for saving my genin team,” he announced and bowed so deep, that his forehead touched the floor.

Oh. That was nice, she thought. Seeing people bow before her, was something Ryoko could definitely get used to.

“Hn. She did what any shinobi would have done,” Fugaku responded nonchalantly, but his chest was puffed with pride.

“Still, I will forever be grateful. And if there is ever a time you need a favor, Ryoko-chan, please ask. I am in your debt.”

“Well, that won’t…” Fugaku started the cordial response, but Ryoko interrupted.

“Yes. I have a favor to ask, Minato-san.”

“Ryoko! Mind your manners,” Fugaku glanced her way, but she was determined. When the girl wanted something, nothing could stop her, manners be damned!

“That is alright, Fugaku-sama!” Minato smiled, straightening up again. His deep blue eyes settled on the girl. “How could I be of use to you, Ryoko-chan?”

“Minato-san, you are the student of one of the Legendary Sannin, is that right?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” he nodded, probably still unaware of her intentions. “Jiraiya-sama was my sensei. Are you looking for a sensei?” he actually guessed it right!

From the moment Ryoko got back from the hospital, she delved straight back into her research for potential teachers. She needed someone smart and clever, and skillful, and legendary if she wanted to be a legend herself.

“Yes, actually I am.”

“Well, I could speak with Jiraiya-sama…”

“No, not him.”

Now Minato and Fugaku looked confused for a second showing various degrees of emotion on their faces.

“Well, I already have a genin team, but I could think of something,” the blond laughed rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Aww, the silly boy thought she wanted him? How adorable.

“Actually, I have someone else in mind,” Ryoko smiled innocently. Only Fugaku knew that smile could not mean anything good.

“Who?” her father asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Minato-san,” Ryoko disregarded the question and looked straight into those blue eyes. “I will not ask you to convince anyone to take me on as a student. I would like your help just in arranging the meeting itself. I am capable of doing the convincing part myself.”

“Emm, sure? A meeting with who?”

“The other Legendary Sannin. Orochimaru-sama.”

Birds chirped outside, yet you could probably hear a senbon drop on the floor in the deafening silence of this room. Minato blinked a couple of times processing the information. Fugaku was quicker to respond.

“Absolutely not!” if it were anyone else, they would bow their head to Fugaku’s commanding tone. But Ryoko did not fear her father. She only smiled.

“Father, I need someone strong and competent in ninjutsu to be my sensei. He is the best candidate, believe me, I checked.”

“Are… are you sure about this, Ryoko-chan? Orochimaru-sama is… well, he is.. _strickt_ ,” Minato settled for that word, but every person in the room knew what he actually meant. The words that could describe the snake sannin would be cruel, vicious, determined. But for Ryoko only one thing mattered - he was a genius. Twisted? Yes. But still a man of incredible intellect and strength.

“I am sure.”

“Pft,” Fugaku sighed, probably convincing himself, that Orochimaru would not even take her as a student.

“Well, alright, Ryoko-chan. I will arrange a meeting for you,” Minato smiled with determination.

━━━━━━━━━━


End file.
